Short Supply of Nuts Threatens Pili Exports

“The scant supply is due to the decreasing number of pili trees,” said Lydia Lomibao who, together with her husband Joseph, turned a backyard business with an initial capital of P500 in 1997 into a P10 million business today.

The Lomibaos own and manage J. Emmanuel Pastries and source their nuts from the 105-hectare Hacienda de Naga. But they are worried enough to plant seven hectares of their own land to pili trees.

“Raw material supply is dwindling because farmers have little knowledge of the value and potential of pili-based products,” she told Malaya Business Insight. “I am confident, however, that we can still manage the volume of raw materials for our present needs, which is about 120 kilos of raw nuts a day.”

Lomibao said there are only two companies, one being J. Emmanuel Pastries, currently exporting pili products. J. Emmanuel Pastries sells its products to the United States, Japan, China, Canada and Guam.

Its product line includes roasted pili nut and pili coated with honey or garlic. Aggressive marketing in malls has expanded its three outlets to 30 in Southern Luzon, Cebu and Metro Manila, boosting sales by 30 percent and accounting for half of gross sales. Sales in airport and hotel outlets account for 10 percent.

“It took us one year before getting our first order in 2008 from the US, only to suffer during the recession there. Orders stopped last September and were renewed only this March,” she said.

“Pili has been there all the time, but it’s only now that we are seeing substantial exports,” said Lomibao. “When we started we had zero technology, until we turned to the SET-UP program of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) to upgrade our equipment and bring our processes up to standard.”

SET-UP stands for Small Enterprise Technology Upgrading Program that encourages and assists small and medium enterprises to adopt technology innovations and improve their operations and boost productivity and competitiveness.

The program enables small firms to address technical problems through technology transfer and interventions and improve productivity through better product quality, human resources development, cost minimization and waste management.

“They availed of P310,000 in SET-UP loans for processing and packaging equipment, with free training on good manufacturing practices, including cleaner production technology,” said engineer Ernesto Reyes Jr., a senior science specialist at the DOST Camarines Sur office.

The “clean” technology was the gasifier combuster designed by the DOST Industrial Technology Development Institute. The combuster, instead of using rice hull it was designed for, burns and converts pili shells and stela (skin) into an LPG-like gas which heats the oven used to cook pili pastries.

“Because of the combuster, they have zero waste in processing,” Reyes said, adding that the loan availed in 2004 was fully paid by 2007.

The pili tree is abundant and wild in southern Luzon, particularly in Bicol, and in parts of the Visayas and Mindanao. A 300 hectare farm in Negros Occidental, for example, is planted to 60,000 pili trees.

While pili is indigenous to Southeast Asia, the Philippines has a monopoly in the world market because it is the only one which processes the nut commercially. In other countries, the tree is an ornamental.

This year, the Department of Agriculture (DA) budgeted P150 million for marketing, research and development and the replanting of seven pili varieties in Bicol, which accounts for 80 percent of national production. A Pili Research and Training Center is based in Guinobatan, Albay.

The DA expects the number pili trees to increase three-fold when over 600,000 seedlings distributed since 2000 for the establishment of pili orchards bear fruit. Areas planted for pili rose 29.3 percent to 7,046.5 hectares in July 2006 from 5,449 hectares in July 2000.

Pili provides income to some 13,435 farmers who own at least 10 trees as well as laborers hired as harvesters. The nut does not require costly storage treatment and, when properly dried, can be stored for one year under ordinary room conditions.

On our wedding day, Martie and I gladly vowed to be faithful “in good times as well as in bad, in sickness as well as in health, for richer or for poorer.” In a way it may seem strange to include vows about the bleak reality of bad times, sickness, and poverty on a cheerful wedding day. But it underscores the fact that life often has “bad” times. So what are […]

UPCOMING EVENTS

On this day in 2003, the United States, along with coalition forces primarily from the United Kingdom, initiates war on Iraq. Just after explosions began to rock Baghdad, Iraqâs capital, U.S. President George W. Bush announced in a televised address, âAt this hour, American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Ira […]

By Ana-Liza S. MacatangayNAGA CITY, Dec. 9 (PIA) --- “This summit will certainly shed new light on the potential and new tourism products and services, as well as guide stakeholders from the government and private sector for a sustainable and responsible tourism development.”Thus stated Naga City Mayor John Bongat on the brighter prospects that await every B […]

LEGAZPI CITY, Dec 9 (PIA) – Bicolanos expressed their elation and eagerness over President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s visit in the province of Albay to lead groundbreaking of the Bicol International Airport (BIA) in barangay Alobo, Daraga Albay and to grace the 7th year anniversary of the Federalismo Alyansa ng Bicol (FAB) at the Legazpi City Convention Center.Th […]

LEGAZPI CITY, Dec 1 (PIA) – The Regional Council for the Welfare of Children and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Bicol led this year’s children’s month celebration in the region themed ““Isulong, Kalidad na Edukasyon Para sa Lahat ng Bata.”“The Children’s Month Celebration is a time to recognize the value of Filipino Children as the m […]

By Ana-Liza S. MacatangayNAGA CITY, Dec.1 (PIA) -- A community of entrepreneurs from the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), gathered together at the Villa Caceres Hotel here for the 3-day Business Community Planning (BCP) and Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) training seminar primarily to mainstream business community and resiliency of […]

VIRAC, Catanduanes, Nov. 30 (PIA)- Cebu Pacific announced that there will now be daily flights to and from Virac beginning December 18, 2016 until March 2017.According to Roberto L. Jackson, Cebu Pacific station officer in Catanduanes, instead of 4x weekly Airbus Manila-Virac-Manila flight, there will now be an 11x weekly ATR operations.He likewise bared tha […]

LEGAZPI CITY, Nov. 29 (PIA) – To culminate the celebration of this year’s National Children’s Month, the Bicol Network for Children (BNC), in cooperation with the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council (JJWC) and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) of the Bicol region held the #KalingaHindiKulungan Bicol Youth Meet at Legazpi City.The main purp […]

By Sally Atento-AlteaLEGAZPI CITY., Nov 29 (PIA) -- It may not seem a good start as heavy rain poured on but it didn’t stop the Bicolanos from joining the call to support the advocacy to end violence against women (VAW) through the "Orange Your Icon for 18 days" campaign launched November 25 in the Bicol region at Cagsawa Park in Albay.Despite the […]

By Ana-Liza S. MacatangayPILI, CAMARINES SUR, Nov. 28 (PIA) --- Various efforts to curb the ill-effects of illegal drugs have already been implemented by the provincial government of Camarines Sur in response to the directives of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte immediately following his assumption of office in June 30.Governor Miguel “Migz” Villafuerte recapit […]

By Ana-Liza S. MacatangayNAGA CITY, Nov. 28 (PIA) -- With the war on drugs now in full swing across the country, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) inched another step forward to ensure that the campaign will be relentlessly pursued with the help of more stakeholders and volunteers.DILG BIcol has spearheaded the regional launch of “Mamam […]

On this day in 2003, the United States, along with coalition forces primarily from the United Kingdom, initiates war on Iraq. Just after explosions began to rock Baghdad, Iraqâs capital, U.S. President George W. Bush announced in a televised address, âAt this hour, American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Ira […]